You could say they, and their cherries, were left high and dry. But this year, packing companies have had to require increasingly large cherries at an accelerated rate, leaving farmers who usually have average-to-above-average cherries denied by the packers they use each year. As the season continues, the minimum may be raised or lowered accordingly. It usually starts around the average cherry size. When harvest begins, packing companies set a minimum size of cherries they’ll accept. While the packing and measuring system has changed, this terminology has persisted. If you could fit ten rows of cherries in one box, you’d have what’s called a ten-row cherry harvest. Harvests were categorized by the fruit’s size, measured in how many rows could fit in a standard packing box. The cold prevents cherries from blooming, but too much heat, too quickly can result in smaller fruit.Ĭherries used to be hand-packed in neat rows. It’s extremely fickle, influenced by many different factors, according to Matt Whiting, a professor and researcher of whole tree physiology at Washington State University. One of the many reasons cherries are such a risky crop is the ripening process. Once cherries are harvested, there is a short window to utilize the tree fruit before they go bad. What’s different about this cherry season?Ĭherries need to stay on the tree until they’re ripe enough to harvest, then immediately kept cool in order to stay fresh. Sensitive crops like cherries are susceptible to all sorts of variables, especially weather, so this year’s cherry season has been just as difficult to predict as the weather. This year, though, the agricultural sector scrambled to predict whether delays in the California cherry season would impact Pacific Northwest yields.Ĭrops were heavily impacted by the unpredictable weather patterns across the west coast throughout 2023. When harvesting is ending in California, the cherry season is just starting in Washington and Oregon. Most years, cherry season in North America starts in California and moves up the coast to British Columbia as the year progresses.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |